Posted on 09/14/2009 10:02:22 AM PDT by Signalman
The '2010 Old Farmer's Almanac,' which is now on store shelves, says it's going to be colder in the coming months, with more moisture for the spring.
"We're looking for colder-than-normal temperatures through most of the winter," Janice Stillman, editor of this year's edition, said.
"But, indeed as the days lengthen, the cold will strengthen, and we're looking for more wet than white before Christmas, and after that, come January - a snowstorm; February - a snowstorm; well-below normal temps, and snow right up through April, which I know will make a lot of folks happy that go skiing," she added.
At 218 years old, the 'Farmer's Almanac' is the oldest continuous published periodical in North America, and Stillman is the publication's first female editor.
"We subscribe to the mission statement put out by the founder Robert P. Thomas in 1792, and that is, 'To be useful, with a pleasant degree of humor;' we aim to make the magazine fun, for everybody, for years," she told 9NEWS 6 a.m.
Stillman says despite its skeptics, the almanac takes its weather forecasting very seriously.
"We use scientific disciplines to make our forecasts," she said. "We use solar science which is the study of the activity on the sun - in particular sun spots - which, since last January in solar cycle 24, have been few and far between."
"We use climatology which is the study of prevailing conditions over time. And through that we've noticed that when there are fewer sun spots, we have cooler than normal temperatures for a long period of time and that's what we're expecting. And we also use meteorology which is the study of the atmosphere. Traditionally, we're 80 percent accurate," she added.
More than 9 million people read the almanac annually, according to the publishers.
Source
I love reading it, it sorta reminds me of my childhood and parents (i was born to them late in life, they would have been grandparents to anyone else) like my three brothers were born in 42, 44, and 46 while I came around in 66 heh.
I heard about this last month. I smugly read it knowing that I cut an extra two cords of wood last winter. Then it occurred to me that the summer has been so wet and cool, my firewood may not be dry enough to use. Global warming may freeze me out this winter.
This sounds just like the winter spring of 08-09. Nothing too different IMHO. Of course I was only in Pennsylvania visiting family in January and it was bitterly cold. I mean I left Sicily with 55 degree weather and landed in Pittsburgh with negative 20 degree weather...it was awful. In fact, I told my folks not to drive out to pick us up due to the frigit temperatures and we stayed at the Pittsburgh Airport Hyatt (it was right in the airport). Best desision I have made...the next day it was cold but still better than having my Mom drive out late at night to pick us up. Actually I took the airport limo into town so she only picked us up one mile from home...I forgot about that. Old age. lol.
Yep - we’re laying the wood. Two cords worth of cut and semi-split tamarack. Best time of the year to do it - everything’s nice and dry. Our little Lopi Answer wood stove does a great job of heating our main living space.
Special thanks to al gore... ok... you can stop now... you won...
This is one reason we’re planning on moving out of Illinois to Texas in the next 24 months. The summer has been abnormally cool here. I’ve lived up here all of my life and want to move to a warmer, move free state.
If I can find a job...Dallas, Texas here we come....
I have about 5 cords of oak and 3 cords of mixed wood. 2 cords are in an open bard with good cross winds and another cord is left over from last year, those should be good to go. The other 5 cords are going to be iffy this year.
I really don’t want to be “that guy” that burned his house down burning green wood.
I’m thinking about getting a little stove for upstairs, I could probably heat my house with 3 cords that way. I have a big stove in the basement and usually go through 6 cords heating with it.
My wife wants to move back to California.
(shaking head)
The weather is nice but I can’t imagine a worse place to be for the next couple of years.
funny, my 2010 Patriot’s Almanac predicts hot lead travelling at 2300 fps in the coming year.
Yuo sure don't. We always get at least a couple of these each season around here. New arrivals, mostly. A box of Davis Donuts says that the're mostly California city folk. Most ofwhom move back or move to Arizona after one or two winters here in Idaho Panhandle. We sure saw a lot of 'For Sale' signs after our last winter.
The other thing that can bite you is not having a chimney sweep come out at least every other year. Chimney fires are the most common burn-down cause in these parts.
With the volume of wood I burn, I have the sweep out twice a season.
We certainly had a colder than normal spring, summer and fall in the CO mountains this year.
That’s a lot of wood! You must have a fair amount of space to heat. Our circumstances are far more modest. Waht really sucks up the power and drives our utility bills up is heating a horse trough and 3 horse buckets over our long winter nights. We’ve hit 22 below zero on occasion, and last winter, we spent 3 weeks in single to lower 2 digit temps. Left untended and unheated, that’ll freeze a hundred gallon trough solid.
Sure keeps the California riffraff out, though.
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